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Province’s marijuana monopoly will be known as the ‘Ontario Cannabis Store’

That’s the $650,000-corporate-branding chosen for the provincial government’s new retail marijuana monopoly to be run by the LCBO when weed is legalized this summer.

The province’s logo for its "Ontario Cannabis Store." (LCBO)

The LCBO also named Susan Pigott as chair of the board of the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, which oversees Ontario Cannabis Stores. (file photo)

The news came Friday, the same day Queen’s Park announced it will provide at least $40 million of cannabis revenue over the next two years to help municipalities with implementation costs related legalization.

“Today marks an important step in our commitment to deliver a safe and sensible framework for the federal legalization of cannabis,” said Finance Minister Charles Sousa.

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“Ontario’s funding approach, developed in partnership with AMO (the Association of Municipalities of Ontario) and the city of Toronto, will provide municipalities with access to funding in advance of federal excise revenues,” said Sousa, noting money will be distributed on a per-capita basis with no municipality receiving less than $10,000.

The treasurer said if the province’s share of federal pot excise duty exceeds $100 million, then municipalities will get 50 per cent of any surplus.

Toronto Mayor John Tory said “this is a good starting point for the discussion going forward on covering the costs to municipalities of legalized marijuana.”

“We expect Toronto will get a large portion of this funding — although we know from city staff estimates that our costs will likely be much larger than this amount,” said Tory.

“Given the size of our city, Toronto’s needs and responsibilities when it comes to marijuana are more extensive than those of any other Canadian city and should be recognized accordingly,” he added.

AMO president Lynn Dollin said the organization was “pleased that the province is providing upfront funding to help local governments respond to local needs.”

The province is also giving police increased resources, including new funding for sobriety-field-test training for officers to help detect stoned drivers, and additional money for Crowns to prosecute impaired drivers.

At the same time, the government announced the long-awaited corporate identity for its marijuana shops.

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“The name is designed to convey a safe, simple and approachable environment for consumers, and agency employees, in a clear and easily understood manner,” the Liquor Control Board of Ontario said in a statement that also unveiled a plain circular “OCS” logo.

“We are confident the brand name and logo will help ensure Ontarians are able to safely and easily identify Ontario Cannabis Stores as the sole legal retailer of non-medical cannabis in Ontario,” the liquor monopoly said.

The LCBO also named Susan Pigott as chair of the board of the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, which oversees Ontario Cannabis Stores.

A spokesperson said the advertising agency Leo Burnett was paid $650,000 for the “development of the overall brand strategy, brand guidelines, and, eventually, the development of the logo and brand name.”

The first 40 OCS outlets will begin operating later this summer in 14 communities across Ontario, including Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and Hamilton.

Both in-store and online sales will be run using Shopify, an Ottawa-based commerce platform.

“Shopify will provide a cloud-based retail solution for both on and offline sales, so consumers can have a reliable and integrated shopping experience across desktop, mobile and in-store points-of-sale,” the LCBO said.

Consumers will not be able to handle the marijuana before purchase; everything will be kept behind the counter and staff will be specially trained members of the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union.

The LCBO named Susan Pigott as chair of the board of the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, which oversees Ontario Cannabis Stores.

Pigott chaired the minister of Health’s mental health and addictions leadership advisory council and was a vice-president of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Also on the board are David Graham, chief financial officer at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital; Ira Kagan, a lawyer, and LCBO board members Susan Robinson and Lori Spadorcia.

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